Ollie Sikes

6 December 2022
EN 245-01
Furuness
Hell of a Brother

Chapter TBD (Last Chapter)

The trip back up from Satan’s palace was a lot quieter than the trip down. I hardly batted

an eye at the demons in the Tier of Lust (who were still going at it, by the way). And Damien

didn’t flinch at the Wrath demons once. Walking past the screams and squelching noises and

bulging eyeballs just felt like window shopping on a Sunday afternoon.

By the time we reached the top of the stairs, we weren’t eager to look around. Not that we

could look around much in the darkness. I was once again exhausted from climbing an infinite

number of stairs, so I didn’t bother to get my flashlight.

I internally cursed Satan for making us go all this way just so we could leave. And I

cursed him even more for our deal. At least Damien only needed to go back once every year.

Meanwhile I’m on a monthly schedule for the rest of my life!

But I guess Hell wouldn’t be Hell without bullshit rules.

Damien’s portal shone brightly as ever. It wasn’t closing anytime soon. It was like the

portal was eagerly waiting for us the whole time. Or maybe it was an invitation to stay in Hell

longer, since apparently, we had time. But I think you and I both know that I wasn’t gonna stick

around.

I looked back down the stairs and gave a silent goodbye to all the horrible, awful things

crawling around down there. At least I would remember them in therapy.

“You ready?” I asked, turning back to Damien.

Damien only nodded.

 I had a feeling he didn’t wanna stick around in Hell either.

With a sigh, Damien and I slowly walked through the portal.



We were back. Home, sweet, beautifully boring home. At least I didn’t feel like a fried

egg anymore.

It was still daytime, and Mom’s car wasn’t in the street. From the looks of things, it

seemed that no time passed at all while we were in Hell. That was both comforting and terrifying

to think about.

Damien looked back. The portal had closed. If he wanted to go back, he’d have to make a

new one. But he didn’t look like he had it in him.

I didn’t blame him.

We walked inside, staring at our dull living room, not fully aware of anything.

A long silence passed.

“Well,” I said. “That was fun.”

“Yeah,” Damien half-laughed.

More silence, but it felt easier this time.

“You gonna tell Mom about this?” Damien asked.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” I muttered.” “You?”

“Nope.”

Glad we were on the same page.

“We should probably put the books away. Y’know, before she gets back.”

Damien nodded. “Yeah.”

 So, we did. We prayed to God (if we even could pray to Him) that Mom’s room looked

like it hadn’t been touched.

Once we got everything cleaned up, I felt a sudden, strong urge to make a sandwich.

…So I was hungry after a hike through Hell. Give me a break.

Damien didn’t seem hungry, though, so I only made one sandwich. But I kept the peanut

butter out in case he changed his mind.

As I reveled in the taste of food again, I noticed him sitting on the living room couch,

staring off into space. After finishing my intensely delicious sandwich, I went over and sat next

to him.

“Hey,” I said. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” Damien muttered. I wasn’t convinced, but I wasn’t about to prod him either.

We took in the air around us. It wasn’t hot, but it felt heavy. Muffled bird chirps echoed

from outside. The sun’s rays were too bright.

“I can’t believe Satan killed my dad,” Damien said.

“Well…” I said dumbly. I was never the greatest at comforting people. “He is Satan.”

“Yeah,” Damien said. “It still sucks, though.”

I sighed. “Yeah.”

Fuck. I mean, what was someone even supposed to say in a situation like this?

I tried to imagine how Damien was feeling. I mean, there was zero chance of Demon Dad

being alive. But Damien looked like he hadn’t accepted that.

The whole situation reminded me of my own dad. In a way, at least. I knew he was dead.

And I guess there was this tiny part of me that still believed he was alive somewhere. You know,

that stupid, hopeful part of you that just can’t accept reality.
 I looked at Damien. He looked more human than ever. Just a sad, scared little kid who

didn’t know what to do anymore. He was grieving. I didn’t realize he cared about his dad so

much.

I needed to say something.

“Well…” I said slowly, a bit softer than I usually speak. “At least now we can cry about

our dead dads together.”

Damien looked at me.

“You miss your dad too?”

I thought about it. I had never talked about Human Dad with Damien, except for maybe

briefly mentioning him.

But I did miss him. And I realized that I’d been missing him for a long time. I guess I just

tried not to think about it too much.

But as I looked at Damien, a kid who had never known grief before, I thought that maybe

it was time to start talking about Human Dad. Damien needed me, and I couldn’t help him if I

couldn’t talk about anything.

“Yeah,” I said, cringing a little at how weak my voice sounded. “I do.”

Damien frowned and looked at his hands, which rested on his legs. I stared at the wall

and thought about the photo of my mom and dad.

“Do you think…” Damien said, hesitantly, “we could start talking about our dads

together?”

I looked at him again and smiled.

“Yeah,” I said. “I think that’d be good.”

Damien smiled back.

 We hardly had soft moments like this in our family, so it felt weird to be like this. But it

was kinda nice.

Suddenly, the door flew open.

Mom walked in, looking more frazzled than usual. Her hair was like a rat’s nest, and her

face said she was ready to wring someone’s neck. Must’ve been a rough day at the hospital.

“Hi, Mom,” Damien said. I guess he wanted to avoid looking suspicious.

Mom looked at us. “You two are awfully quiet,” she said. “Have you been up to

something?”

“Nope,” I said coolly. “Just thinking.”

Mom raised an eyebrow. Her kids hardly ever took the time to just think. But I think she

bought it.

“Well,” she said, slumping into her reading chair, “I wish I would stop thinking. I’ve

been on hyperdrive all day.”

She rubbed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

Damien and I looked at each other. Our faces said everything.

Mom never looked well-rested. We were used to seeing her worn out every day, but I

guess neither of us considered how awful that must feel. Mom went through her own personal

Hell every single day, and it took me and Damien going to actual Hell to finally see that.

She never talked about how she was feeling, either, except for the occasional complaint. I

wondered how much grief and anger she was bottling up. I mean, I knew she didn’t like to talk

about her past, but I’m sure she’s thought about it. I knew what that felt like. It sucked.

It was time to take care of Mom. I was years too late, but, better late than never.

I got up from the couch.

 “Damien, come with me to the kitchen,” I said.

Damien shot me a confused look, but he stood up anyway.

“What are you two doing?” Mom asked.

I smiled at her. “You like tea, right?”

Mom blinked. “Yes…”

“Well, you had a shitty day, so how ‘bout Damien and I make you some tea?”

Damien suddenly understood what was happening. He eagerly nodded in agreement.

Mom’s jaw dropped a little. “I…well…if you want to…” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you

want something?”

“Nah,” I said. “Just figured I should make you tea.”

“But you’ve never made me tea before,” Mom said.

I grinned. “Yeah, but I will now.”

Mom looked dumbfounded, but a little relieved.

“Well, thank you, Aaron…” she said. “I appreciate that.”

She smiled at me. I wasn’t used to that, but I liked it.

Damien and I made her favorite tea: unsweet with a hint of lemon. We had never made

tea before, but damn it if we didn’t try. It only tasted a little funny.

When Mom took a sip, she smiled warmly. The whole house felt warm. It was a good

feeling.

I think that day was the first day we ever felt like a real family.


 So, there you go. That was my journey through Hell with my demon brother. Can’t

believe that happened only, like, two weeks ago. Pretty sick, right? Hope the ending wasn’t too

sappy. But hey, at least I didn’t traumatize you too much.

Is there a lesson here? Not really. I just wanted to tell a story. But I guess if you wanted

to get some valuable knowledge out of this, here’s something to remember:

If you have a demon brother, don’t take him to Hell. There are better ways to deal with

that.